6 Jun 2002, appointed by the President of Ireland on the nomination of Dáil Éireann [1, vol. 553, p. 70][2]

7 May 2008, successor appointed by the President of Ireland on the nomination of Dáil Éireann [3]

﻿Names/titles:

Also known as "Bertie" Ahern

﻿Biography:

Bertie Ahern was educated at Rathmines College of Commerce, University College, Dublin, and the London School of Economics. Qualified as an accountant, he entered the Dáil Éireann in the Fianna Fáil landslide victory of 1977. He was appointed as assistant government whip in 1980 and Chief Whip of Fianna Fáil in March 1982, in which position he served until the fall of the government of Charles Haughey. He held various opposition front bench appointments in the mid-1980s before entering cabinet as Minister for Labor on the return of Fianna Fáil to government in 1987. He was a member of Dublin City Council from 1979-1991, being elected Lord Mayor in 1986. A strong supporter of Haughey, his position in the party was so secure that he survived the fall of his patron and was promoted Minister for Finance under Albert Reynolds in November 1991. Ahern succeeded Reynolds as leader of Fianna Fáil in November 1994, but he failed to secure his appointment as Taoiseach in December 1994, when the Labour, Fine Gael and Democratic Left formed a coalition government under John Bruton. After the 1997 General Election Ahern entered coalition with the Progressive Democrats and was nominated Taoiseach on 26 Jun 1997.